Lot of stuff written here - let me give you some info (from a retailer - conscious many are wary of any expertise and prefer their theories, but …..here goes)
* Uk retailers committed years ago to supply British Eggs only - many committed to free range too.
* This isn’t a Brexit issue (trust me, we have plenty of those is supply chains nut not here)
* Ling term agreements are in place with UK suppliers
* There just aren’t egg manufacturers in the rest of the world (incl Europe( sat on plies of eggs just on the off chance we suffer from a shortage.
* Avian flu has decimated flocks in the UK with the resultant egg shortage
* Some retailers, notably Sainsburys, have gone to Europe to try and get supply. They have had some success but are paying through the nose.
* Others, including our business have stuck with sourcing from the UK
* Simple supply and demand - shortage of supply = shortage to consumer at higher prices
* To my knowledge no retailer sells eggs as a loss leader - those days are long gone
* This ain’t going away anytime soon - flocks need replacing and, I suspect some will take this opportunity to exit completely.